Initiative vs.

Guilt Analysis
1

Initiative vs. Guilt

HD- 300 Early Childhood Themes and Life Cycles
Spring II 2014
Sharon Davisson
Pacific Oaks College
Stacy Moralez

Initiative vs. Guilt Analysis

2
In Eriksons third stage of human development we are able to see how it is that children begin
to take initiative to begin to construct their own activities. In this stage the child also begins to
explore their curiosity and do things on their own because they get the urge to them. I am able to
compare the theorist and my upbringing to this stage and have come to found out that I was
indeed on the stage that Erikson describes as the stage as when one decides to do things on ones
on impulse or adventure. Many contributing factor of achievement of this stage is the
environment and cultural believes.
As I was growing up I was curious about certain things but my parents interdependency made
me afraid to explore. Like Janet Gonzalez-Mena stated in her book Diversity in Early Care and
Education there are two types of culture that guide us through this stage. There are those that are
individualists and then there are those whom are collectivists. Janet states that, individualists are
concerned with self-esteem and making every child feel specialcollectivists, on the other hand,
sees the child first and foremost as a member of the group, not apart and separate (GonzalezMena, 208, p. 68). Depending on the type of cultural upbringing you belonged to was what
determined the type of person you would grow into because that would be the way that your
parents would race you. Furthermore, I feel that that Gonzalez-Mena idea of how culture
influences the way you perceive things and are the ones that predict how and when you would
take initiative. For example, if you are brought up in an individualist culture you will be pursue
by your family to become an independent person which will cause you to take an initiative
earlier in life. However, if you were raised in a collectivist culture then your family would allow
you take initiative when you are ready and will do so in group not my one self.
After having learned more about Eriksons third stage I am able to understand that I was
raised in some sort of way a little in both because reflecting back on my upbringing I remember

Initiative vs. Guilt Analysis

3
that my parents were happy when I decided to give my first steps. I felt I was more in collectivist
culture because my parents would do the things for me they will be afraid that I try new things
they wanted me to return to them for help. They felt that asking for help was and that I should
not feel guilty if I could not to things on my own. The foremost important thing is to be able to
balance both allowing child to choose but, also setting limits to them.

Initiative vs. Guilt Analysis

4
References
Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2008). Diversity in early care and education: Honoring differences
(5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.